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The 9/11 Commission Report.

The 9/11 attacks took place in 2001. The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks on the United States, commonly called the 9/11 Commission, issued its report in 2004. Ten years on seems like a useful point at which to look back on the Report.

The historical “lessons” of the 9/11 Report have entered into the understanding of that “informed public” beloved of college professors and newspaper editors. They shape much American policy in the world. They are worth examining if only on those grounds.

The Report also identified serious problems in American government and politics. It defined a broad agenda for reform. In this it resembles earlier American manifestos, like the journalism of the “muckrakers” in the Progressive Era and the reports on crime and violence, and on race relations that came out in the 1960s. It is fair to ask, ten years on, how far have we come in reforming our problems?

I thought that I would spend some time revisiting what we learned from the Report fo the 9/11 Commission. Comments are always welcome.